By Oiwan Lam
Maoist protesters became a major spectacle in the series of anti-Japanese protests [1] in China that took place between September 15 – 18, 2012, with Chairman Mao’s portraits and nostalgic slogans praising the nation’s founder standing out in the crowds.
To many intellectuals the Maoists’ return to the Chinese political scene carries the bitter memories of the rounds and rounds of political campaigns and prosecutions, such as the Cultural Revolution [2], in Chinese history. That’s why the incident of an 80-year-old man being beaten up by a Maoist Professor Han Deqiang during the rally in Beijing on September 18, has caught a lot of attention on Chinese micro-blogging platforms in the past few days.
Maoist leftists in the anti-Japan protests
Lao Ye shared [3] [zh] his observations in his micro-blog about the return of Maoists in the anti-Japan Rally in Beijing:
ã€ä»Ž“å°å¹³æ‚¨å¥½”到“毛主å¸ï¼Œäººæ°‘好想您”】9月18日,北京å¦ç”Ÿå’Œç¾¤ä¼—举行抗曰游è‡ã€‚毛泽东的画åƒå’Œæ ‡è¯å¼‚乎寻常的多。 有å¦ç”Ÿæ‰“瀓毛主å¸ï¼Œäººæ°‘好想您”的横幅。84å¹´å¦ç”Ÿæ‰“瀓å°å¹³æ‚¨å¥½”的横幅,曾作为历å²çš„ä¸€ä¸ªæ ‡å¿—ã€‚ä½†æ˜¯ä»Šå¤©ï¼Œæ²¡æœ‰çœ‹åˆ°ä»»ä½•äººä¸¾é‚“çš„ç”»åƒæˆ–æ ‡è¯ã€‚è¿™ç§å˜ 化值得关注
[From “Xiaoping [4] Nihao” to “Chairman Mao [5], People really miss you”] On September 18, among the Beijing students and mass demonstrators, quite a number of them were holding Mao’s portraits and banners. One of the most popular banners was “Chairman Mao, people really miss you”. Back in 1984 students were holding “Xiaoping nihao”. The banner had become a historical sign of a new era [economic reform]. Today, we can’t see anyone holding Deng’s portraits or slogans. Such change has some implications.
Incidentally, a drama happened during the rally in Beijing. While the Maoist protesters were chanting “Chairman Mao, people really miss you”, an 80-year-old anti-Japan protester yelled at them: “Miss my ass!”
One of the protesters beat up the old man and called him a “traitor”. A blogger later identified [6] [zh] the attacker to be Han Deqiang [7], a famous Chinese nationalist and founder of Maoist website “Utopia [8]“, who teaches at the Beihang University in Beijing [9].
Later, an aggressive statement [10] [zh] written by Han was circulated widely in many blogs and forums:
我一å‘åå°æ‰“人,一å‘主張和平說ç†ã€‚但是,é‡åˆ°ä¸è¬›ç†çš„人,é‡åˆ°é€ è¬ ã€èª¹è¬—ã€æ±¡è”‘é–‹åœ‹é ˜è¢–ï¼Œç ´å£žä¸åœ‹äººæ°‘團çµï¼Œçµ¦æ—¥æœ¬ç•¶æ¼¢å¥¸çš„人,我å¿ç„¡å¯å¿ï¼Œä¸èƒ½å†å¿ï¼å¯§å¯ç‚ºæ¤è¢«æ‹˜ç•™ï¼Œä¹Ÿä¸èƒ½è®“這ç‰æ¼¢å¥¸æ”¾è‚†ã€çŒ–ç—ï¼…… 在群情激憤è²è¨Žå°æ—¥æœ¬ã€æƒ³å¿µæ¯›ä¸»å¸çš„游行隊ä¼ä¸ï¼Œä¸å®¹è¨±å‡ºç¾é€™ç¨®æ˜Žç›®å¼µè†½çš„漢奸言論。今後如果在游行隊ä¼ä¸é‡åˆ°é€™æ¨£çš„漢汗,該出手是我還會出手ï¼çŠ¯äº†æ³•çš„,我èªç½ªä¼æ³•ï¼Œä½†çµ•ä¸èªéŒ¯ã€‚
Usually I am against violence and pro rational and peaceful discussion. But when confronted with someone unreasonable, who makes defamatory remarks to our nation’s founder with the intention to destroy Chinese people’s unity and to serve the Japanese interest as traitor, I could not remain silent. I would rather be arrested than letting them showing off and creating a scene… This rally is an occasion to protest against little Japan and to remember Chairman Mao, I would not allow the presence of such outrageous traitor’s talk. If I come across this again in future rally, I would do the same thing. I broke the law, I would accept its rule. But I would never apologize.
You may find it surprising that quite a number of netizens have actually expressed their supports for Han [zh]:
@å¼ å®è‰¯ï¼šã€æ”¯æŒéŸ©å¾·å¼ºæ£ä¹‰ä¹‹ä¸¾ï¼Œåšå†³æ‰“击汉奸】全世界所有国家都有æå«ä¿¡ä»°è‡ªç”±çš„æƒåˆ©ï¼Œç¾Žå›½ä¸€éƒ¨å½±ç‰‡ä¾®è¾±äº†ä¼Šæ–¯å…°çš„信仰,形æˆä¸–ç•Œå美风暴。为什么唯独ä¸å›½äººæ°‘没有信仰自由?没有信仰毛主å¸çš„自由?没有æå«è‡ªå·±ä¿¡ä»°çš„自由?为什么专门立法å…许任æ„侮辱毛主å¸ï¼Ÿè€Œäººæ°‘群众å´æ²¡æœ‰ä»»ä½•æå«è‡ªå·±ä¿¡ä»°çš„法律æƒåˆ©ï¼Ÿ
Zhang Hongliang [11]: [Support Han Deqiang’s just action in cracking down on the traitor without hesitation] Every country has rights to defend their religion. The American film that insulted Islamic belief has resulted in waves of anti-US protests. Why only in China don’t we enjoy religious freedom? Why can’t we have the freedom to believe in Chairman Mao? And the right to defend our beliefs? How can we allow the law to give liberty to those people who insult Chairman Mao? While people don’t have the legal rights to defend their beliefs?
天马101:红潮的æ¥ä¸´ï¼Œæ‘§æ¯äº†ä¸€åˆ‡å¦„想å˜è‰²ä¸å›½çš„é˜´è°‹ç ´äº§ã€‚ç¾Žå›½åŠä¸€åˆ‡å›½å†…西奴走狗妄图在ä¸å›½çš„阿拉伯自由之春没有迎æ¥ã€‚å´è¿Žæ¥äº†ä¸€åœºä¸€åˆ‡å动派谈之色å˜çš„毛泽东æ€æƒ³å¤§æ½®ã€‚è¿™ä¸æ˜¯ä»¥ä»–们æ„志为转移的,人民å‘往的春天之风使他们始料ä¸åŠï¼ä¹Ÿä¸€å®šä¼šè®©é‚£äº›è¿‡é«˜ä¼°è®¡ä¸å›½æ±‰å¥¸è¥¿å¥´åŠ›é‡çš„外国势力é‡æ–°è¯„ä»·ä¸å›½äººæ°‘ï¼
Tianma101 [12]: The red wave has destroyed the conspiracy that attempted to change China. The United States and its slaves in China attempted to bring the Arabic Spring to China but what they see now is a big wave of Maoist thought returning and the anti-revolutionaries’ faces have turned pale. Such a wave cannot be changed with their will. People have created their own spring. This would make the foreign powers re-evaluate the influence of their slaves in China.
汪海林:事实上,近年æ¥æ¯›å·¦è¢«æ•è¢«ç¦è¨€çš„ä¸å°‘,一有机会ä¾æ—§ä¸Šè¡—公开打出旗帜和画åƒï¼Œè¿™ç§å‹‡æ°”是yy公知所ä¸èƒ½æ¯”的,敢于上街亮出身份并表达自己政治观点,是脱离键盘党和嘴炮党的必ç»ä¹‹è·¯ã€‚
Wang Hailin [13]: The fact is in the past few years, many Maoist opinions have been repressed and censored. It is thus very courageous for them to take the opportunity and bring their banners and Mao’s portraits to rally in the streets. To express one’s opinion in the street is a concrete step [of action] rather than mere online talking.
Of course there are also opinions against the aggressive Maoists; below is a selection of skeptical voices [zh]:
范晓æ¨ï¼šä¸Žæ—¥æœ¬çš„军国主义相比,毛左给ä¸å›½å¸¦æ¥çš„å±å®³æ›´å¤§ï¼Œæ›´å€¼å¾—我们è¦æƒ•
Fan Xiaoyang [14]: When compared with Japanese militarism, the harm that Maoist Leftists have brought to China is much bigger. We have to be aware of this.
伯林2011:毛时代让ä¸å›½äººçš„智力ã€é“德以åŠæ•´ä¸ªç¤¾ä¼šçš„文明水准都急剧倒退,å¯ä»¥è¯´æ˜¯å‰æ‰€æœªæœ‰çš„é‡Žè›®æ—¶ä»£ã€‚ç„¶è€Œåœ¨è¿™å‡ å¤©çš„é—¹å‰§ä¹‹ä¸ï¼Œä»åªæœ‰æ¯›å¼è¯è¨€èƒ½å ‚而皇之的粉墨登场。乌有ç‰ç½‘站虽曾被å°ï¼Œä½†æ¯›å·¦çš„言论自由度ä¾ç„¶å¾ˆå¤§ï¼Œä»–们å¯ä»¥å…¬ç„¶å«åš£æ€æ±‰å¥¸ï¼Œå…¬å¼€æ‰“人,相比之下,自由派则备å—打压,文明和民æ„ä¸èƒ½ä¸Šè¡—。
Berlin2011 [15]: During Mao’s era, the intelligence and morality of the society and civilization was regressing rapidly. We can even say that we entered a dark age of barbarianism. In the past few days, only the Maoists could appear in the protest scenes. Even though Utopia had been blocked several times, Maoist Leftists enjoy freedom of speech to a large extent. They could call out loud for the killing of traitors and even beat up people. On the other hand, the liberal is repressed. They could not express their ideas in the rally.
å¼ æž—å³°å¾®åšï¿¼ï¼šã€æ”¿æ²»ç”Ÿæ€ã€‘2012是毛左势力走å‘è¡°è½çš„开始。毛左势力将呈现æžç«¯åŒ–ã€æš´åŠ›åŒ–与边缘化特å¾ã€‚他们也å³å°†è¿Žæ¥å†…部分化的阶段。
Zhang Lifeng [16]: [Political ecology] The Maoist leftists are losing their power in 2012. That’s why they have become so extreme, violent and marginalized. They will probably have internal conflict and will spilt up soon.
Article printed from Global Voices: http://globalvoicesonline.org
URL to article: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/09/20/china-return-of-maoists-in-anti-japan-protests-brings-anxiety/
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